"If Your Highness wants to go, then go. I have no intention of keeping you here all the time." Lanqin was also a little uneasy, and she was afraid that the Fourth Prince might also be thinking about these things. Perhaps Consort De would also tell the Fourth Prince.
"Nonsense!" Fourth Master angrily slapped Lanqin, who was sitting next to him and teasing Wuxiha, on the buttocks.
The maids all automatically ignored them, silently turning their backs to the two of them.
At this moment, Ushiha suddenly burst into tears. The wet nurse quickly turned around to pick him up, but Lanqin, seeing that she had picked up Ushiha, pouted and said, "Be good, don't cry. Your father bullied your mother and even hit her. I won't talk to him anymore."
Upon hearing this, everyone broke out in a cold sweat again.
Fourth Master looked at the little woman complaining about him, and said with a mixture of anger and amusement, "Don't lead Ushiha astray. It was clearly you who bullied me, but you insisted on sending me somewhere else."
Lanqin said fiercely, "I'm just showing off my magnanimity as a concubine!!"
Although she said this, she was actually a little wronged. Before she was a concubine, she didn't need to think about these things at all. As a princess, it was only natural for her to be favored by the Fourth Prince. But now, as a concubine, she can no longer enjoy the Fourth Prince's favor.
"Who asked you to show off your bullshit magnanimity?!" Fourth Master said angrily again.
Seeing that Fourth Master looked angry, as if he was really upset, Lanqin's eyes reddened. She hugged Wuxiha and coaxed him, muttering, "Wuxiha, your mother will go with you from now on. Your father is too fierce. He has a lot of wives and concubines. Your mother can't stand it."
Everyone wished they could disappear immediately; Cui Niang had never seen anyone interact with the Fourth Master like this before. However, the Fourth Master didn't seem very angry and still cared about his master.
"You, you! You're the one who said those things, and I'm not allowed to get angry. If I really don't get angry, I'm afraid you'll be even angrier." Fourth Master could also see that Lanqin seemed to enjoy seeing him get anxious.
Lanqin's act was seen through by the Fourth Master, and her expression changed as she said, "You serve your daughter today and wash her bottom. I'm going to the study to read a book."
The wet nurse was immediately embarrassed. It was originally her job, but now that the concubine had assigned it to the Fourth Prince, did she have to go along?
Fourth Master was actually quite willing, taking Wuxiha from Lanqin's hands and instructing Nianxue and the others to fetch water.
Lanqin glanced at Cui Niang, gesturing for her to follow her to the study.
After they left the main house and went to the study next door, Lanqin asked, "Did Uncle Li come today? My son was taking a nap, so I didn't see him. How is he?"
“Master, Little Li has come to ask me to say a word to you. He said that Eunuch Su’s apprentice, Zhao Quan, is very wealthy,” said Cui Niang.
"What does Li Shubao mean by this? Is Zhao Quan very wealthy?" Lanqin repeated.
"That day, when the master went to see the Third Prince, Wu Gege found out so quickly that the master had requested a religious ceremony for Li Shi. It seems that someone deliberately leaked this information to her?" Cui Niang said.
Lanqin stepped into the study, followed closely by Cui Niang. Both mistress and servant were pondering Li Shubao's words, but for a moment they couldn't quite grasp the meaning.
Lanqin stood in front of the bookshelf, looking at the books that the Fourth Master had allowed her to buy from outside. You see, women in this era were really bored. Apart from pleasing men, there was really nothing else to do. Lanqin didn't like doing needlework, so she could only rely on these books.
She chose a play script, walked to a carved rosewood chair, sat down, and murmured, "Cui Niang, there's a saying: 'There are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies!'"
Cui Niang understood Lan Qin's meaning, but was amazed at how accurately she had summarized the friendship between women.
“Wu Shi Ruan Mei is charming and has been favored before, so she must have many thoughts in her heart. Geng Shi was the first to befriend me, but she is the one I can't see through the most. Sister Song is the one I trust the most. She is truly quiet and gentle, and it is no wonder that she was the first to win the master's favor,” Lan Qin said slowly.
“Now that you are a concubine and have given birth to the Third Princess, my lady, I can tell that your favor towards you is very deep, no less than that of Lady Li back then, and perhaps even more profound. No matter how much favor Lady Li received, she only pleased your master. But my lady, it seems that your master also occasionally looks at your expression!” As Cui Niang said this, she carefully observed Lan Qin’s expression.
Lanqin smiled involuntarily, a look of delight in her eyes, and said, "Cui Niang, although we have only known each other for a short time, and you are not my dowry maid, I feel that we are more like best friends than mistress and servant."
In fact, Lanqin was a single woman in her early thirties, and she naturally got along better with the twenty-eight-year-old Cui Niang than with Nianxue.
“Bestie? I’ve never heard of that word before?” Cui Niang pondered this new term she was hearing for the first time.
“It’s like a close confidante, someone you can talk to about anything,” Lanqin explained.
"This servant thanks you for your trust, mistress. I am also happy to be your confidante." Upon hearing this, Cui Niang immediately curtsied excitedly. She had previously received the favor and reliance of the Fujin (principal wife), but those favors were tinged with humiliation, the relationship between servant and master. Lanqin's words made her feel a respect and equality she had never experienced before.
“Cui Niang, since Uncle Li has brought this up, why don’t we conduct an experiment? Let’s see if Zhao Quan is as we think.” Lan Qin said with a hint of amusement.
"Experiment?" Cui Niang asked, puzzled, as Lan Qin kept using words she had never heard before.
"It's a test. We need Eunuch Su's cooperation. If he's willing to help, we can quickly confirm whether it's him or not," Lan Qin said.
“Eunuch Su has always favored the master. This servant will go and invite him to speak,” said Cui Niang.
“Go ahead, while Fourth Master is washing Wuxiha’s bottom. I don’t want him to find out about this, lest it cause a lot of unnecessary trouble,” Lanqin said.
Cui Niang nodded and then left.
Su Peisheng wouldn't enter the room without being summoned by the Fourth Prince. After all, it was the inner quarters of the concubine, and he was still considered half a man. Cui Niang walked up to Su Peisheng, who was standing under the veranda, and said to him, "Eunuch Su, come with me. The master has something to say to you."
Su Peisheng was startled. Lanqin had never said anything to him in private, nor had she ever given him any instructions. This was one of the reasons why Su Peisheng liked Lanqin, unlike other concubines who, once favored, would randomly order him around.
Su Peisheng followed Cui Niang into the study with doubt in his heart and saw Lan Qin looking at something intently.
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